Friction shock-absorbing mechanism.



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efji zm g e 4d? ATT/HWEY a. A. JOHNSON.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4,,191 8.

FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBFNG MECHANISM.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ja e, 1919,

Application filed March 4, 1918. Serial K0. 220,245.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Gnome A JOHNSO wedges Il -D, a central friction member E, u

ncitizen of the United States, residing at v Chicago, in the county'pf Cook-and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and .This invention relates to improvements in friction shock absorbing mechanism.

flue object of the invention is to provide a friction shock absorbing mechanism, especially adapted for railway draft riggings, which can be cheaply manufactured, is provided with friction wearing areas and is'of high capacity.

1 Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a friction shock absorbing mechanism of the type above indicated wherein all the friction elements can be cheaply manufactured in the form of castings.

In thefldrawing forming a part of this specification, li tion, partview of a per showing my i F 2 is a t view, taken Si Fig. 1. And is a view corresponding to Fig. 2,.but illustrating another embdiment of the invention where the parts have been turned through an angle of 90. In the structure shown in Figs, 1 and 2, the springs extended vertically belowv the sills, whereas in Fig. 3 the springs are placed on the outside of the sills and extend horisonically. I j

In said drawings, -18 denote channelshaped center or draft sills of a railway car to the inner faces of which are secured the usual front and-rear stops 11 and 12. The draw bar 13 is adapted to be operatively connected with the shock absorbing mechanism proper by any suitable means, such as the 1 ml, vertical, sectional k aiiway draft rigging rovenicnte attached therctoi se, vertical, sectional nechanism, as shown,

A, rear follower B, C, a. pen? of rear useful lniprovement in Friction Shock-Ab upper and lower friction members FF, a pair of vertically extending bolts GG and 6.5 a pair of springs HH.- Y

I Each follower A and B is of substantially rectangular form as customary, and on its ure 1- is a part side GlGVQ.

Jantmlly on the line 2 2 of inner face is provided with upper and lower transversely extending recesses or pockets -1515 to loosely receive the outer ends of the correspondingly shaped wedges C-C and DD. It will be noted that there is a slight clearance left between the Wedges and the transversely extending ribs l6 l6 of the followers, as indicated at 17, the purpose of this'clearance being to permit any slight adjustment that may be necessary due to inequalities of manufacturing of the wedges and followers. f

All of the wedges C0 and D-D extend transversely of the shock absorbing'mecha nism and the same are provided on their in ner ends withbeveled or wedge faces 18-48; the Wedge faces of the blocks CC being oppositely arranged and the same being true with the ,wedge faces of the wedges D -l).

The central friction member E is of sub stantially rectangular form and is provided with upper and lower horizontal friction 0 faces 19 and 20 cooperable with-the opposed horizontal friction faces 21-21 of the wedges C,C and D-D. The vertical thickness of the central friction member E is made slightly greater than the vertical height of the follower-ribs 1616 soas to always insure proper contact -between the friction faces of the wedges CC and DD and the central friction member E. 1

Each of the outer or side friction members F-F has its ends beveled or'wedge-shaped, as indicated at 22 -22, so as to cooperate with the opposed wedge faces l8 1 8 of the wedges flC and D.-D.-

In order to always maintain proper rela-- tion of the parts, the friction=members F--F are preferably provided with sockets 23-23 v in which are seated upwardly and downwardly extended bosses 24-24 0n the central" friction member E. In th s'manner, it is evident that relative longitudinal movement between the friction members E-E and F-F is prevented except, of course, for the slight clearance in the interfitting parts.

.thev are simultaneously moved l urthermore. the members F-F are provided at their ends with flanges, as indicated at 51-51 in Fig. l overlapping the sides of the wedges (C and D-D so to prevent relative lateral movement between said members.

.llach of the. bolts GG is through alincd perforations in the friction members l l--l l and FJ at either side of the arms of the yoke 14-. At their lower nds, the bolts (l are provided with spring 'l' llowers which are retained by the nuts 20. said followers 25 forming the lower bearings for the springs llfl. Also mounted on the bolts i and against which the upper ends of the springs H bear. are slidable followers 27, the same having sleeves 2S-28 evtended up past the lower arm of the yoke it and bearing against the under side of the lower friction member F.

- To properly support the gea any suitable means may be used, as for instance. the saddle plate 25? which is dctachably bolted to the lower flanges of the draft sill.

in operation. it is apparent that as the followers A. and l) are made to approach each other under either bull' or draft. the wedges C-( and D D will also approach each other, thereby forcing the friction members l l away from each other. This relative separating movement of the friction menibers lF is resisted by the springs l'l-l'l through the bolts (1. as will be understood. In this connection. it may be observed that the amount of compression of the springs ll will be double the moven'n'ait of either of the friction members i since each spring H is simultaneously compresstal from both ends, that is. the spring followers 27 and 27 are each moved and toward each other. In addition to the friction created between the. friction members l l and the wedges t-tl and l)l). it is evident that a large frictional area is obtained between the sliding horizontal contacting faces of the central friction member if and the wedges (l and D--l). .t will also be observed that relative movement between the central member ll and all of the wedges (7-( and l)--l is ob tained simultaneously for the reason that. as the friction members l l are separated.

longitudinally and will consequently carry the central friction member l) therewith and the reverse action will occur during the release.

in the construction shown in F g. it. the arrangement of friction elements. followers. etc. is the same as that shown in Figs. l and 2 except that the parts are turned 90 and the oft-center friction members l---l*. in stead of being separated in vertical direction, will be separated in a horizontal direction. in this construction. the spring retain an bolts l are preferably vertically tl'sct. as clearly shown in Fig. 3, said. bolts extended GZ G being extended through suitable perforations 4l0--40 in the draft sills and the springs HH' located outside of the sills.

From the preceding description, it will be seen that I obtain a friction gear of high capacity having large frictional wearing areas and at the same time, all of the friction elements may be inexpensively manufactured in the form of castings without the necessity of machining or drop forging. The arrangement is also compact and may be utilized in the shortest gear space now permitted on railway cars; the use of friction shells is eliminated; and any common form of attachments may be used in combination with the shock absorbing mechanism proper;

movement of said followers, the central frie ion member and the wedges being restricted to relative rectilinear movement; and spring means resisting the separating movements of said side friction members.

2. In a friction shock absorbing mecha: nism, the combination with a pair of followers relatively movable toward each other; of wedges movable with the respective followers; a central friction member. said cell-- tral friction member and said wedges having cooperating friction surfaces extending parallel to the axis of the shock absorbing mechanism; additional friction members on either side of said central friction member and havingfrictional engagement with said wedges; said side friction members being relatively separable; and spring means for resisting separating movement of said side friction members. 7

3. In a friction draft. rigging for railway cars, the combination with a draw bar and yoke acting means associated therewith. of shoelc'absorbing mechanism operatively sociated with the draw bar and yoke acting means, said mechanism including a pluralityoi wedges at ea rh end thereof and men abte parallel to the axis of the dr rigging. central and lateral friction members friclionall v engaging with said end wedge said lateral friction members being relativelv separable at right. angles to the center line of the draft rigging, said central friction member and end wedges having coil erablefriction faces extending parallel the center line of the draft riggi spring means resisting; said sona -at: i 5 ment of the lateral friction inem'oers 4. In a friction shoc'ir absorbing: 'nism, the combination with end followers movable relatively toward each other, of end Wedges movable with the respective followers; central and side friction members tri tionally engaging with said wedges, said. side friction members being relatively separable and at right angles to the line of movement of said followers, the central frietion member and the Wedges being restricted to relative rectilinear movement; and spring; means resisting the separating movements of said side friction members, said central friction member. being longitudinally able.

5 In a railway draft rigging, the combination with a draw bar and yoke acting; means, of a friction shock absorlr in'g mechanism operatively associated with draw;

bar and yoke acting means, said mechanism including end wedges a ranged to be actaated upon movement of the draw bar and yoke acting means, central and side friction members frictionally engaging i Wedges, said side friction members ben grelatively separable and at right angles the line of movement of said draw laiyoke acting means, the central friction mem-- her and said end Wedges having" rectilineal 5 movement only parallel to the center line of the draft rigging, and spring means resisting the separating movements of said side friction members.

6. In a friction shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with end follow movable relatively toward each other; of a pair of inwardly extending wed.., 3 t: each of said followers, said wedges I spaced; a central friction member liming the ends thereof extended into the a between said Wedges and frictionally engag ing the latter, the engaging friction of said Wedges and central friction member extending parallel to the center line of of said central friction member and Wedge-shaped ends cooper-able wedges; and spring means fora 'movement of said side friction noeis upon relative approach of the followers.

7. In a friction shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with end followers "movable relatively toward each other; of a pair of inwardly extending wedges on each of said followers, said wedges b in spaced; a central friction 1l1ili3 ?3 the ends thereof extended into the between said wedges frictionally e ing the latter, friction members on either 66 side of said central friction fllefolllfif and iperahle with for re all {2.

ism i J a L a ge .i-ice U I '1 i sin, SZUQE and t l for railway cars, and yoke absorbing iii draw bar ieelianism inwedges of wedges ildv" 'allel to the and aotnlg means,

edges, cooperide friction memitive movement a wring means it of said 'iway cars, is a draw bar,

' its ends on said ceniuding front and operable with said wedges a pair of bolts extended vertically through all of said friction members, and springs carried by said bolts to resist relative separation between the said side friction members. the central and side friction members having interengaging portions adapting the said friction members to more longitudinally in unison.

11. In a friction shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with a pair of end followers morable relatively toward each other; of a pair of wedges extending inwardly from each of said followers, said wedges be ing separable from the followers and the wedges and f o llowers having cooperating means to maintain proper relation thcrebetween; of a central friction member having friction-faces on opposite sides thereof c7;- tendine' parallel to the line of relative movement between the followers, said central friclion member beingmounted between the sets of wedges and frictionally cooperatii'ig with the latter; friction men'ibers on either side of said central friction member and having wedge-shaped ends cooper-able with said wedges; and spring means for resisting relatire approach of said followers and acting through said friction men'ibers at the sides of said central friction member.

in a friction shock abso1-bin,r mechanism, tl e combination with relatively mom- 1 ble end followers, of a pair of paccd detachable wedges mounted on the inner face of each of said followers, said wedges having inclined outer wedge faces and inner friction faces parallel to the line of relative movement of said followers, outer friction members ha 'inp; inclined ends frictionally cooperable with said wedges and adapted to be separated upon relative approach of said followers, central friction means having friction surfaces parallei to said'innerfriction faces of the wedges and cooperable therewith, and spring means for resisting said separating movement of said outer friction nien'ibers. 7

13. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with draft sills, a draw bar and yoke-acting means, of front and rear followers, a pair of wedges detachably mounted on the inner face of each of said follmrcrs, said wedges being spaced on each follower and provided with friction surfaces on their inner faces extending parallel to the center line of the gear. outer friction members eooperable with said wedge the outer friction men'ibers being separable in lires at right angles to the axis of the gear upon relative approach of said followers, central friction means having friction faces also parallel to the axis of the gear and cooperable with the inner faces of said wedges, and spring means for resisting said separating movement of the outer friction members.

in witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 16th day of Feb. 1918.

GEQRGE A. JOI-H SON. 

